I practiced by myself for 4 hours today. I started off by playing 8 ball against myself then 9 ball against myself. After that got boring, I began to break an 8 ball rack an see how many balls I could run in no particular order. Most of the time if it was a dry break I would rack again and rebreak. But not always. Sadly, the most I could run is only 8 balls before a miss. Then I would rerack and start again. I averaged 3 balls most of the time. I didn't always take the easiest shot on the table. I tried to maintain cue ball control and take shots that would give me the leave that I wanted. Is this wasting my time? I have only been playing a little over a year and have not played much the past 3 months. I am on an APA league. I am a 3.
Am I wasting my time?
- Thread starter DanielDeTinne
- Start date
I would suggest specific drills that work on your weaknesses. Look at all the great stuff online from Dr. Dave.. I like the Billiards University material.
I use the sticky donuts to help reset specific shots. I have a laser to set up straight shots.
Lots of good dvds out there. Look for material that covers the basics of setting up and stroking.
I went to pool school run by Scott Lee and RangyG. I went from a 3 to a 6 in the apa.
I use the sticky donuts to help reset specific shots. I have a laser to set up straight shots.
Lots of good dvds out there. Look for material that covers the basics of setting up and stroking.
I went to pool school run by Scott Lee and RangyG. I went from a 3 to a 6 in the apa.
As long as you are concentrating and have a goal in mind without getting frustrated to the point of anger, all time at the table is good time at the table.
That said, you could be practicing much, much, much more effectively.
Get lessons and play better players. Practice drills, practice the same shot over and over. Repetition is the key to learning...if you learn a bunch of ways to miss one shot, you will eventually learn how to make it. It's like the impressionist painter Manet: Some people disregard his 'Haystacks' series of paintings because they are all the same subject. I say that he did that because he could capture every nuance and learn from each.
But seriously, get lessons. Buy 'The 99 Critical Shots in Pool' by Ray Martin. This is the only book you ever need to learn to play and anybody who hasn't gone through it should. It was literally the only instruction I had for the first six years of playing pool and I can trace easily 90% of what I know back to that book (been playing 24yrs).
That said, you could be practicing much, much, much more effectively.
Get lessons and play better players. Practice drills, practice the same shot over and over. Repetition is the key to learning...if you learn a bunch of ways to miss one shot, you will eventually learn how to make it. It's like the impressionist painter Manet: Some people disregard his 'Haystacks' series of paintings because they are all the same subject. I say that he did that because he could capture every nuance and learn from each.
But seriously, get lessons. Buy 'The 99 Critical Shots in Pool' by Ray Martin. This is the only book you ever need to learn to play and anybody who hasn't gone through it should. It was literally the only instruction I had for the first six years of playing pool and I can trace easily 90% of what I know back to that book (been playing 24yrs).
wasting your time by playing pool? Maybe not. Wasting your time with practicing? to some degree, maybe. I would recommend a lesson with a professional instructor and just go over the fundamentals - Pre shot routine, stance, grip stroke finish, etc... you will not progress at a rate that is pleasing without sufficient dedication to the above mentioned fundamentals. For a video I recommend a pool lesson by Jerry Brieseth. For a book, I recommend Mark Wilson's book.
Wasting your time? Well, that depends on what your ultimate goals are in pool. If you want to eventually turn Pro, your probably wasting your time.. But if you just want want compete in a weekly league, and have some fun, then no, your not wasting your time.. If you keep practicing like you did today, I can guarantee you won't stay an APA 3 for very long...
Rain-Man
Rain-Man
I disagree ...76%.
Making balls and figuring out what is going on when stuff moves is the goal at this point, IMO. Plus, it HAS TO BE fun.
One think that occurred to me in the op: didn't always shoot the easiest ball first. Go ahead an shoot those easy balls first, in fact...never shoot a hard shot again:wink:.
There is an olde adage about watching a great player play, goes something like this: he doesn't play that good, I never seen him take a hard shot.
I took one lesson last year. He spent most of the time showing me safety play.
As far as my stroke. I practice hitting a ball the length of the table, being sure it comes back to the tip of my cue. I can do it at different speeds 95% of the time. I also practice making stop shots and draw shots and trying to figure out how the cue ball moves.
As far as my stroke. I practice hitting a ball the length of the table, being sure it comes back to the tip of my cue. I can do it at different speeds 95% of the time. I also practice making stop shots and draw shots and trying to figure out how the cue ball moves.
I have to agree with Black Balled. At the level the OP is at (an APA 3), drills are only going to frustrate.. At a beginners level, I'm a big proponent of MAKE BALLS, MAKE BALLS, MAKE BALLS, and then go MAKE SOME MORE BALLS.. Pocketing balls is not only the most basic fundamental there is to pool, it's FUN as well! It also builds confidence, which in time will allow you to spread your wings a little and work on your position... Drills, in my opinion, are more for a player who is already good at making balls, and knows how to get position, but needs to become more consistent with everything..
:rotflmao1:
Oh...you are doing good! I wasted 46 years playing so far.:yes:
I rarely miss and so far I've never lost a match to man or woman in my basement.
90% of the time a 3 is a 3 because of the eye placement...
Hi there Daniel,
I've given about 2,000 full Perfect Aim lessons in the last 5 years on the road and about 6,000 mini lessons and that's on the low side of how many.
To correct someones eyes is fairly simple and I can usually do it right on the phone with you on a table. In person works also but I can't be everywhere.
This is something that the eyes don't do naturally for some players as well as others but it can be taught. This is what Perfect Aim is all about. Having the eyes in the most dominant position.
Once you got the eyes right you can improve your aiming skills very quickly. The other skills come quicker also because you can actually see what is happening with the cue ball also. How it reacts when you hit the cue ball with different speed and English.
I can guarantee that in 30 minutes on the phone with you at a pool table that your 3 ranking in your league will go up real quick.
This would be the most important piece of info you will ever learn for your pool game.
I'll do this for you free. Just give me a call during this week when your at the table and if I'm available we'll go to it.
I have never found any teacher or player that is teaching this unless they learned it from me. It's how the eyes naturally work. Nobody ever really figured it out. Some think they know but they don't have a clue. Still in the stone ages.
This is how strong this is. If you are not totally amazed at what I teach you I will sent you $50 for wasting your time.
And all I ask is that you try to help a few of your friends with this once you learn. Works for everyone.
715-563-8712 Anytime after 12:00 noon.
Looking forward to your call to help you play this game a whole lot better and create so much more fun.
Hi there Daniel,
I've given about 2,000 full Perfect Aim lessons in the last 5 years on the road and about 6,000 mini lessons and that's on the low side of how many.
To correct someones eyes is fairly simple and I can usually do it right on the phone with you on a table. In person works also but I can't be everywhere.
This is something that the eyes don't do naturally for some players as well as others but it can be taught. This is what Perfect Aim is all about. Having the eyes in the most dominant position.
Once you got the eyes right you can improve your aiming skills very quickly. The other skills come quicker also because you can actually see what is happening with the cue ball also. How it reacts when you hit the cue ball with different speed and English.
I can guarantee that in 30 minutes on the phone with you at a pool table that your 3 ranking in your league will go up real quick.
This would be the most important piece of info you will ever learn for your pool game.
I'll do this for you free. Just give me a call during this week when your at the table and if I'm available we'll go to it.
I have never found any teacher or player that is teaching this unless they learned it from me. It's how the eyes naturally work. Nobody ever really figured it out. Some think they know but they don't have a clue. Still in the stone ages.
This is how strong this is. If you are not totally amazed at what I teach you I will sent you $50 for wasting your time.
And all I ask is that you try to help a few of your friends with this once you learn. Works for everyone.
715-563-8712 Anytime after 12:00 noon.
Looking forward to your call to help you play this game a whole lot better and create so much more fun.
Last edited:
Banks
Banned
I agree that as long as you're keeping yourself interested/focused, you'll get something out of it. I've done the same kind of thing myself. Try shooting medium or soft so you can see what path the cue ball takes after contact. Your shooting will improve over time, so make sure you're learning about cue ball control.
As a 3 no one should be teaching you safety play...
An instructor and a coach are two different things. Especially a coach for league.
I forgot who but someone said it best when they said it depends on your goals.
An instructor at this point in your development should be teaching you fundamentals. Stance, grip, bridge, foot placement.
You shouldn't even be hitting balls in instruction if you are a three, you should be learning what you should be doing and practicing your stroke.
If you're hitting balls, you should be hitting simple shots and learning the different angles do to the balls.
Again, it depends on what your eventual goal is. IMO you should be trying to get to the best game you can.
Jaden
An instructor and a coach are two different things. Especially a coach for league.
I forgot who but someone said it best when they said it depends on your goals.
An instructor at this point in your development should be teaching you fundamentals. Stance, grip, bridge, foot placement.
You shouldn't even be hitting balls in instruction if you are a three, you should be learning what you should be doing and practicing your stroke.
If you're hitting balls, you should be hitting simple shots and learning the different angles do to the balls.
Again, it depends on what your eventual goal is. IMO you should be trying to get to the best game you can.
Jaden
It is too many hours to practice at one time, period. Try playing shorter time periods several times a day. You don't want to practice past your attention span and have your practice become counter productive.
Whats ur 9 ball ghost rating ?
Trying to improve ur rating is a good challenge / fun way to practice IMO.
rack up 9 ball.
BIH after the break.
sink in rotation.
shoot till u miss - thats ur score for the rack.
play 10 racks & add up ur score.
Do this 3 times & disregard ur lowest & highest total.
Cheers.
This 'instructor' is a hack and he wasted your time.
If you are an APA3 and have only been playing pool for a year, an instructor should be teaching you stance, bridge, stroke and preshot routine.
Game strategy, such as safety play, is well past your needs and abilities.
See when Scott Lee is coming through your area.
As for your stroke practice, much better to set up shots and consistently be able to stop the ball (straight in shots) at any distance. Being able to hit a stop shot and know that the cue isn't rolling at contact will teach an observant player a lot about how balls react to each other.
While I suggest drills earlier, I also suggest balance. Drills should take a ton of concentration and they should frustrate...that is the point. Nobody was ever proud of anything they learned if it came easy. We call them 'hurdles' for a reason, they are something you have to get past...make three balls, good, now make four. Run a rack of eight, run a rack of nine.
Frustration is good. Letting that frustration turn into anger or feelings of inadequacy is bad. You are going to get better, then you are going to find out how much you need to learn. You'll probably have a huge setback at some point--I sure as hell did and I rebuilt my game from the ground (literally--started with my feet placement) to my head and every point in between. I changed my stance, my stroke, my head placement, my bridge and my strategy after playing for a decade and it was worth it--even if it didn't seem like if for three months.
As a final thought, set out your goals, make them realistic and aligned with how much time you are willing to put in. Break your ultimate goal into smaller goals and track your progress.
I agree with the advice to take a few lessons first. Most players have issues with the fundamentals of their stroke (e.g. where you hold the butt of the cue, bridge length, follow through, how close to stand to the ball, stance, when to look at the CB and when to look at the OB, etc.) I think it's useful to correct those things first.
I suggest you practice with drills. Important is stop shots. Start doing them half table and graduate to full table (OB about 1.5 diamonds from the corner and CB on 6th diamond). This builds your stroke consistency.
I've gotten a lot out of the drills on Bert Kinister's web page, http://www.bertkinister.com/
His drills might be a little much for a APA3, but for intermediate to advanced players, it's the best instruction I've seen.
Regarding books, I also love 99 Critical Shots in Pool. I have about 20 instructional books but this is the book I suggest to beginning players at your level. Byrne's Standard Book is another classic. Both of those books are about shot making and sending the CB to a specific next location. Very useful, but they don't spend much time discussing how to plan out a rack.
For a quick intro to planning out a rack (pattern play), I suggest checking out some of Tor Lowry's videos. He has clear examples of getting on the "right side of the line" and position zones. Here is an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9u...ew-vl&list=PLSdlfdk6zG-rru2CB4H0Qty8u078N-bLl
I suggest you practice with drills. Important is stop shots. Start doing them half table and graduate to full table (OB about 1.5 diamonds from the corner and CB on 6th diamond). This builds your stroke consistency.
I've gotten a lot out of the drills on Bert Kinister's web page, http://www.bertkinister.com/
His drills might be a little much for a APA3, but for intermediate to advanced players, it's the best instruction I've seen.
Regarding books, I also love 99 Critical Shots in Pool. I have about 20 instructional books but this is the book I suggest to beginning players at your level. Byrne's Standard Book is another classic. Both of those books are about shot making and sending the CB to a specific next location. Very useful, but they don't spend much time discussing how to plan out a rack.
For a quick intro to planning out a rack (pattern play), I suggest checking out some of Tor Lowry's videos. He has clear examples of getting on the "right side of the line" and position zones. Here is an example:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9u...ew-vl&list=PLSdlfdk6zG-rru2CB4H0Qty8u078N-bLl
I think the first thing to do is have a lesson with a professional instructor and focus just on fundamentals. Stance, stroke and pre-shot routine.
Practicing anything more with poor fundamentals is just ingraining bad habits. It's like people who search and search for the "right" aiming system. Well, guess what -- nothing works for them because they don't have a reliable stroke.
The "return-the-ball-to-the-tip" drill is a good start but it can let you fool yourself into thinking your stroke is good-to-go when it still needs work.
If lessons with a professional aren't in the cards, then take videos of your fundamentals. Set the camera up so it captures your full body from the side and again from the front -- just shooting a ball from center-table into a side pocket. Post the videos in the Ask an Instructor forum. You'll get lots of good advice.
Practicing anything more with poor fundamentals is just ingraining bad habits. It's like people who search and search for the "right" aiming system. Well, guess what -- nothing works for them because they don't have a reliable stroke.
The "return-the-ball-to-the-tip" drill is a good start but it can let you fool yourself into thinking your stroke is good-to-go when it still needs work.
If lessons with a professional aren't in the cards, then take videos of your fundamentals. Set the camera up so it captures your full body from the side and again from the front -- just shooting a ball from center-table into a side pocket. Post the videos in the Ask an Instructor forum. You'll get lots of good advice.